The present invention relates to an information processing system, an information processing method, and a computer program for having operations between two or more networked equipments cooperate with each other, and more particularly relates to an information processing system, an information processing method, and a computer program to have operations between two or more equipments connected by a network cooperate with each other.
Further, the present invention relates to an information processing system, an information processing method, and a computer program by which a plurality of networked equipments performs distributed processing so that they can operate as a single virtual equipment, and particularly to an information processing system, an information processing method, and a computer program to grasp excess processing capacities in the virtual single equipment formed from a plurality of networked equipments, and also expand functions.
It is known that a plurality of computers are connected to each other by a network to implement sharing information resources, sharing hardware resources, and collaboration between a plurality of users. There are connection media between the computers including various types such as a LAN (Local Area Network), a WAN (Wide Area Network), and the Internet.
Particularly recently, computer and network technologies deeply pervade typical homes. Information equipments such as personal computers and PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants), and further, AV equipment such as television receivers and video reproduction apparatus, and various information appliances, CE (Consumer Electronics) equipment and the like in a home are interconnected via a home network. Further, such a home network is, in many cases, interconnected to an external wide area network (WAN), such as the Internet, via a router.
While a mode of use assumed is that a plurality of AV equipments are connected on a home network in this manner, there is a problem that the cooperation implemented between the AV equipments is not sufficient until now.
For such a problem, in order to have the equipments on a network cooperate with each other, research and development on a grid computing technique is underway recently, by which high arithmetic operation performance is implemented through collaborative operation between equipment. Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2002-342165; Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2002-351850; Japanese Patent Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2002-358289; Japanese Patent Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2002-366533; and Japanese Patent Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2002-366534.
According to the grid computing technique, a plurality of information processing apparatuses on a network perform distributed processing, so that they can operate as a single information processing apparatus as seen from users.
For example, where a plurality of information processing apparatuses each having a program recording function are connected on a network, a cooperative operation for a program recording reservation can be implemented. That is, where a plurality of information processing apparatuses have their program recording reservation operation cooperating via a home network, they operate virtually as a single recording equipment on the home network. And the user can make a program recording reservation using arbitrary one of the equipments connected to the home network.
Furthermore, through such cooperation in the program recording function, another program (so-called a counter program on a different channel) a recording time of which overlaps with the reserved program can be recorded simultaneously. Similarly, by having reproduction operation of recorded content cooperate between a plurality of equipments, simultaneous/synchronized content reproduction can be implemented. Through the cooperation in a content reproduction function, by having the reproduction of content recorded by different equipment proceed simultaneously and synchronously, it is able to introduce the concept of channel switching in content reproduction.
According to such virtual single equipment, even where the hardware resources and processing capacity of a single equipment may meet a demand from a user, by positively using excess processing capacities in other equipment that operate cooperatively and collaboratively on the network, the demand from the user can be met, whereby even services not practicable by only an usual stand alone single equipment can be implemented.
However, e.g., where a user wishes to expand a function in such virtual single equipment, there is a problem that it is relatively hard to know the current processing capacities. Thus, which function is expandable and what apparatus configuration is required to implement the expandable function are relatively hard to know.
In an usual stand alone single information processing apparatus, it is relatively easy to grasp its apparatus configuration such as its hardware and software. In contrast, where a plurality of information processing apparatuses are cooperatively operating via a network, the configuration of a certain apparatus is not visually seen from another apparatus, and as a result, the current excess processing capacities in a virtual single information processing apparatus may not be easily grasped.
For example, where a specific apparatus tries to make a request to the virtual single information processing apparatus, the specific apparatus may not judge what function is actually is able to be implemented until the excess processing capacities are determined between the networked information processing apparatuses.
Further, even where an added function becomes to be implemented by a combination of information processing apparatuses, what function becomes to be implemented is not proposed in advance before connecting them.
Generally, an information processing apparatus can implement function expansion, e.g., with the addition of peripheral equipment. In contrast, in a virtual single information processing apparatus, due to difficulties in grasping its excess functions, it is difficult to judge which equipment should newly be connected to the network for an expanded function which is newly requested by a user.